Just Beyond the Door
by Starflyer11
Summary: Feelings are such strange things, aren't they? When deaths start occuring, mostly by suicide, will Hisoka and Tsuzuki be able to solve the case, and keep their sanity intact?CASE FIC. Warning: will be slow with chapters. Ch. 5 is up, working on Ch. 6
1. Prologue

Welcome to my world, fellow fans of Yami no Matsuei. I trust you're all familiar with the series? Yes? Good then, I am as well. Tonight, I finally started the first part in this story that's been forming in my mind for months now. However, I do tend to get lazy, so there may be a gap between chapters. I'll try my best to keep the waits down, for my sake as well!

Before I thrust you into my story, I will warn you that I do like to get a bit odd with my formatting. If it starts bothering people, I'll try my best to tone it down in future chapters. They won't all be like this one. I don't expect many reviews yet, since this is only the prologue, yet if you have a word or two of support, or want to call my attention to a spelling/grammar error, it's more than welcome! Trust me, I am going somewhere with this.

Starflyer1

Just Beyond the Door

* * *

_May 8th, 19XX, 1:30am._

Just a little more…  
That's all it would take; and he knew it.  
It was happening so slowly; too slowly, and that wasn't right.  
That wouldn't make anyone happy.  
This is what he'd been waiting for.

Feet… inches… centimeters.

Oh, how he thirsted for this with every fiber of his being.  
How he needed this.  
Just to see the sight of blood again; thick and red against the whiteness.  
His fingers outstretched like talons.  
He could almost see the ebony claws on the ends of his fingertips,  
Shining in the dim candlelight.  
Close now, so close.  
His heart beat faster at the thought of what would come next.  
Claws touching… fingers grasping… hands lifting…

And then…

AND THEN…

"B-brother…"

This wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.  
BUT THERE NEEDED TO BE BLOOD…  
His eyes widened, smile fading to a dark shadow of the wide grin he'd worn.  
Yet his fingers still dug deeper.  
Deeper into the flesh.

"Br-oth-er…"

It felt so good.  
Hands pushed against his. Small, white hands.  
His sister's hands.

**"NO!"**

Someone screamed.  
But it wasn't her voice.  
His eyes darted around the room and landed on the candle.  
The flame, oh how it smiled at him, mocking him.  
Why was he doing this again?  
Something was wrong, very wrong.  
Fingers retreating, claws disappearing, footsteps backing up…  
Gasping, choking, sobbing-  
Somehow his bed found him, the sheets half thrown on the floor.  
The darkness of the new moon watched behind him though the window.  
It seemed to stare at him, asking why.  
WHY?  
The same question the eyes of his sister asked him.

"Brother?"

It was him who was gasping now…  
Trying to remember.  
Trying to forget.  
When had he stopped fighting against it?  
All those…  
FEELINGS.

"Brother…"

**"Stop it."**

The pity in her eyes, it was all too much.  
His hand reached under his pillow.  
Fingers wrapping around the cool metal as he hid it in the folds of his robe.  
This couldn't be happening.  
But it had.

Floorboards creaked under his footsteps.  
The candle still watched him, just as the eyes of his sister.  
The unspoken question was left behind him.  
It was too much, just too much.  
This couldn't go on. It had to stop.  
It had to…

The wind was cool that night, just as it had been the last few nights.  
Its howl was just loud enough to block out his thoughts.  
Except for one:  
Traitor.  
It didn't make sense, but he still heard it:  
TRAITOR.  
He couldn't let this go on anymore.  
And now he remembered why.  
Only… he couldn't tell anyone.  
Couldn't tell… ANYONE.

There, in front of him… people, two people.  
Were they people? Had they always been there?  
They walked towards him; no, only one did.  
Now the other stopped and turned back to the smaller one.  
Such odd green eyes he had; pained green eyes.

Did he know?  
Was it possible?  
No one could know.  
That much was clear.  
No one could ever know.  
The other one turned back.  
Staring at him.  
Deep violet eyes; filled with pity.  
Just like her eyes.  
Just like…

**"I tried so hard. But please, tell her I'm sorry."**

Hand sliding out of robe.  
Clutching the knife tightly in his fist.  
Such odd eyes… both of them.  
Only they weren't looking at him anymore.  
They saw the knife; and they wanted to stop him.  
But that wasn't possible.  
No one could know.  
It was a secret…  
They raised their hands as he brought down his.

There was screaming…  
But who was it?


	2. Chapter 1

I haven't had Internet connection. That's my excuse. This chapter is mainly Hisoka-centric, but I did sprinkle a bit of Tsuzuki in there for good measure.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei, nor will claim ownership to the characters there of. The plot is of my own design and I shall punish myself for any faulty character development.

Starflyer1

Just Beyond the Door

* * *

May 8th, 19XX, 9:23a.m.

It was the darkness that had brought them a sort of peace; a solitude where they could each put themselves back together. Now it had been stripped away, and they could both see the damage: the damage that had been done to themselves, and to each other. After all, it wasn't everyday the person they were after chose to end their lives willingly, let alone in such a manor.

Hisoka stood solemnly by the window, the long red curtains almost hiding him from the view of Tsuzuki who sat on one of the single beds in the hotel room behind him. He could hardly look at him, not yet. Not when he was this confused. Of course, mumbling to oneself always helped with confusion, right?

"Did life really mean that little to him? I just don't…"

Tsuzuki leaned back against the headboard, his eyes lingering on the form of Hisoka, who'd been there for quite some time now. The clock ticked on steadily to 9:30am. A breakfast menu lay open on the empty bed, a fact Hisoka had decided to forget until he was able to put himself back together again.

"Hisoka, are you all-"

"Yes."

"Are your shields back?"

"What do _you_ think?"

That was never a good way to start off a morning, snapping at Tsuzuki. He could picture the hurt look on his partners face at his tone. The boy suppressed a sigh and leaned his forehead against the window. God this was stupid. It was practically against his morals to let someone like that tear down his shields that much. That bothered him, and there was no way he'd let Tsuzuki see that.

"We should probably work on the case. Why don't you come over here Hisoka?"

The view outside seemed much more interesting than the aspect of staring at a depressed partner, or worse, a partner trying NOT to look depressed. The view was rather nice. It over looked the park they'd been in last night where the boy had…

"Hisoka?"

"What?"

He felt, rather than heard Tsuzuki's form walking towards him. Was that fear he felt leaking from him? Regret? Guilt? An acute case of depression was the last thing he needed this morning.

"We should work on the case Hisoka, it bothers you, doesn't it."

Hisoka turned towards his partner before Tsukuzi even had a chance to put a hand on his shoulder. Then, pulling the curtains shut behind him, he stared Tsuzuki sharply in the eyes and pointed him back in the direction of the bed. Tsuzuki, however, remained where he was. Okay, this called for method two.

"You want to talk about the case when we've only had about two hours of sleep between us? Okay, fine. Lets start with the only known fact we have; the boy died."

Why did he say that? God, he was a sadist today, wasn't he? He shook his head in apology, and led Tsuzuki back to the bed. It was obvious he, himself wasn't the only one broken up over the botched case. The silence waited, yet the floor seemed safer to look at than Tsuzuki. If only he hadn't been so weak.

"This should have been easy. Find the boy, and take him back to Meifu."

Tsuzuki placed a hand on Hisoka's shoulder for comfort. It was a gesture of comfort, or to suggest that he felt some sympathy for him. Unfortunately, sympathy wasn't the only thing that leaked into the Empath's body. Hisoka turned towards Tsuzuki and stared at him in confusion. The hand was removed.

"Do you think we should still go to the boy's family today as we'd planned?"

Hisoka hesitated, and nodded.

"There may be more to this, don't you think?"

"You don't trust them 'Soka?"

Damn… little… pet name. Hisoka frowned severely, then recovered.

"As much as I'd like to say we're done with this case, I think we have a lot more poking around to do. Konoe didn't give us a lot before we came down, so maybe we should report back to him."

Tsuzuki slowly nodded, then sat down on the bed and reached underneath for a few papers. Hisoka almost winced, catching himself at the last moment. Damn, he was trying to hard to cover himself. It was almost too painful to watch. He settled for spacing out, he always did his best thinking when he was trying to ignore reality.

"Sorry Hisoka, I'll try not to let it bother me. It's just that… he was only 15. Why would he just…"

Tsuzuki's comment brought him back.

"He was sick, right?"

"Konoe didn't mention that… how did you?"

Hisoka blinked, startled with his own realization. He reached up and rubbed the side of his head. No doubt he'd have a headache later with all that happened last night. He caught a questioning look from Tsuzuki and waved it away. Seconds later a bottle of Tylenol was tossed in his lap. Hisoka looked up as Tsuzuki smiled broadly.

"I guess he just looked weak to me. I'm surprised you didn't see it."

Hisoka pondered the bottle, than set it aside on the bed and nodded a brief thanks. The pills would most certainly come in handy later.

"I saw it, but there was just so much blood…"

Hisoka leaned closer to his partner. A smile appeared on Tsuzuki's face as he shook his head and placed the sheets of paper between them on the bed.

"Never mind."

Hisoka nodded, then stared down at the papers. It wasn't a wall, but it may as well been one. He reached for one of the papers, one of many in the small stack. His hand brushed over the words on it; the boy's information. Little help it had been.

Tsuzuki snuck a look at his watch and pulled Hisoka down onto the bed beside him. The long forgotten Breakfast menu was in his hands a moment later along with a smug grin.

"How about this, I'll go and talk with the boy's parents since** you** seem a bit out of sorts today-"

"Idiot, I can still-"

"You go back to Meifu and speak with Konoe and try to get any other information on the case."

Hisoka stared at him, surprised at the sudden turn of events. Here he was thinking HE would have to delegate the responsibilities, or at least be the one to deal with the matters here on Earth. He watched his partner stand and stride across the room, pulling out that insanely huge coat from a closet.

"Hurry up and get ready Hisoka, I'll start ordering breakfast!"

He nodded, then, automatically moved back to the window. What was with him and the damn window? Maybe he really was a sadist today. From behind him, the door opened.

"I'll be right down."

"Take your time."

"Tsuzuki… thanks."

There was silence, but one could hardly call it awkward. The door closed a moment later, and Hisoka was alone with his thoughts. Now he could get himself back together, now he could focus and… heh, there were still visible bloodstains on the concrete.

"God, I hate this place."

* * *

Thanks to all reviewers! I'm still getting going on this little project,and job-hunting down here in California. Starflyer1 is the name I'm more familiar with,despite theextra '1' in the pennamefor this account. I've done more story work, so the second chapter shouldn't be too long in coming! Thanks all! 


	3. Chapter 2

I have some time on my hands, and I happened to be in a writing mood. So, after spending about five hours writing this installment, I present you with the results. I did proofread, but, if anyone catches any mistakes, please inform me. Much appreciation and happy reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei, nor will claim ownership to the characters there of. The plot is of my own design and I shall punish myself for any faulty character development.

Note: Italics are thoughts. Thoughts will only be used for the focus character of the chapter.

No warnings yet, but I warn you, later on, there _just may be!_

…mwaha.

Starflyer1

* * *

Just Beyond the Door

May 8th, 19XX, 12:00p.m.

Tsuzuki gazed down the concrete walkway towards the large, Victorian style house. It seemed like a cozy home, despite the rather bright and flashy color scheme on the outside, as well as in the drapery. He knew what he had to do, but for some reason he remained glued to the spot, counting the 8 blocks that made up the walkway, over and over again.

"Aah… what am I suppose to say? 'Sorry, I saw your son die last night and I was just curious about… Gahh, no!"

"_Getting Hisoka to eat a piece of chocolate cake would be easier than this!"_

He shook his head, pushing back the hair from his forehead with the palm of his hand. Making a face, he stepped on the first block and stiffly drew himself up. The least he could do is _look_ professional.

"**Um, excuse me, I live here."**

He felt a sharp tug on his black trench coat, as a small, shadow of a girl snuck by him and walked up towards the front porch. Her long brown hair hung down the back of her cotton jacket and almost seem to wave playfully at him as it swung with her long strides. By her height and childish looks, he figured she was at least 10. This called for some tact, charm at the very least.

"H-Hey! You said you live here?"

Tsuzuki leaped forward, completely forgetting about his supposed, 'tact' and 'charm', and grabbed the girl by the arm. She froze, and shrunk back, turning to face him with a frightened look on her face. Slowly, she nodded, which Tsuzuki considered progress. Her fingers crept towards her mouth as the fear in her eyes was replaced by confusion.

"**Who are you?"**

Tsuzuki smiled warmly at the girl and opened his mouth to respond. However, at the moment, the door flung open, revealing a slender, middle-aged woman dressed completely in black from head to toe. He froze, his mouth hanging open as the brown-haired woman studied him.

"_Obviously her mother. Well, this could work to my advantage! Be strong Asato!"_

"**Rei, come on in the house."**

The girl turned around, nodding at Tsuzuki as she crept towards the house. For a moment, he couldn't determine if her slowness was to give him a chance to speak, or to irritate her mother, who indeed seemed to be getting quite impatient.

"**_Rei!_ Will you _please_ hurry up? The guests will be here any minute!"**

He was loosing his chance, the offhand look from the girl told him just that. Clearing his throat, Tsuzuki brushed his hair back again and bowed politely to the woman.

"Excuse me, are you the Mistress of this house?"

A grin came to his face as the woman nodded and firmly stood her ground by the door. The girl had stopped walking as soon as he had spoken, so, she really had been trying to help him out. He mouthed a 'thanks', and then took a step forward.

"My name is Tsuzuki Asato, and I'm here to-"

**"I assume you are an investigator? I'm sorry, but we aren't dealing with the likes of you for this matter. Please get off the property. Rei, come HERE."**

Tsuzuki blinked and tried to keep his panic from rising. This was his only chance! If he blew it now, what would the office think of him? What would _Hisoka_ think of him?

"Wait! Please! No, I'm not an investigator, I'm…"

"_Think Tsuzuki, think!"_

The girl, Rei, was suddenly in front of him, staring up at his face. Tsuzuki instinctively took a step back as she studied him, taken aback by the intense look in her eyes.

"_Creepy… almost as if she can see right though me. Wait, no, now's NOT the time to be frightened by a child!"_

Rei turned back towards her mother with a smile on her face. Off hand, he wondered what would come next. Would she call his bluff, or would she…

**"Weren't you brother's college friend? I remember Hiroki mentioning you once. You two use to hang out before he got sick, right?"**

"_So he WAS sick. Definitely something to tell Hisoka later on, as well as this supposed friend of his… if he does exist."_

He nodded gratefully as he nervously fidgeted with the cuffs of his trench coat. It was good to have someone on his side for once, even if she wasn't REALLY on his side. She was alive after all.

"_But for how long?"_

Tsuzuki shook his head, pushing the thought aside as the woman sighed, and then waved them both inside. With a pleased look, the girl turned and led him into the house.

* * *

In Meifu, the Sakura trees were in bloom as they always were. The weather was pleasant as usual, and a rather irate Konoe was storming around his office. Oh yes, a normal day at the Judgment Bureau. The only thing odd was, Tsuzuki wasn't there to take the brunt of Konoe's temper.

"If those two so much as put one _foot_ in Meifu, they'll be hell to pay!"

As if to agree to the bosses comment, Tatsumi smiled maliciously and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His eyes wandered to a fancy, handwritten note. Watson had delivered it only an hour ago, and it was five minutes after that, the once neat office had become a disaster zone.

Papers lay strewed across the floor, books stuck out at odd angles in the bookshelves; the only clean space was the large desk in front of Konoe. Tatsumi stood to the side of the desk, grateful for the little protection it gave against his boss.

"Tatsumi, you have my permission of docking their pay! How dare they not file a report last night? It's been a full day since they left and I distinctly said, 'report anything suspicious immediately.'"

He thumped a hand down on the paper for emphasis and turned to Tatsumi, who wasn't in the least bit shaken by Konoe's actions.

"I sure as hell would call _this_ suspicious!"

Tatsumi leaned over the desk and glanced at the note as Konoe lifted his hand. He grimaced as he read it, quite taken aback by the Count's dramatics:

To Konoe Kachou,

I'm afraid something _dreadful_ had happened in the Castle of Candles. Oddly enough, around the time of 2am last night, a life was extinguished, but the flame didn't quite disappear. Really, it seemed to have 'jumped' to a large candle beside it. However, when I approached this candle, it simply vanished. The name of the target your Shinigami were going after has NOT vanished from the Kiseki, which makes me wonder if the events are linked. I trust you will look into this matter, for I fear that, at my age, my heart cannot simply take any more surprises. If this matter cannot be resolved, I will require Tsuzuki to come to my aid and protect me from other such occurrences!

Sincerely Yours,

The Count

Konoe glared down at the note, catching Tatsumi's eyes as he lifted them from the message and frowned.

"They were the only ones from this block out last night, and the Count wouldn't send anything to us unless it was in our district!"

* * *

Kurosaki Hisoka paused outside Konoe's office and winced. Damn, there really was something up, but it was only for a split second that he was glad he had decided to return.

**"Calm down Chief, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this…"**

Taking a deep breath, Hisoka set his face and opened the door. The result was less than spectacular, but oddly enough, it was far from the 'normal' greeting he usually got.

**"YOU! Tatsumi, you have full permission to do what's necessary!"**

Raising his hands as if to ward off any attacks, Hisoka shook his head and tried to get his heartbeat under control. What ever had transpired in the room before his entry had been insane- or at least mildly troublesome.

"Chief! I… I…"

"_Why me? Now I think I'm starting to understand how Tsuzuki feels."_

**"Well, what do you have to say for yourself Kurosaki? Why didn't you report! What went on down there?"**

Hisoka straightened up; blank faced, as Tatsumi held up his hand and slid a piece of paper down the desk towards him. With a wary glance at Tatsumi, he grabbed the paper and skimmed it. Then he took a step back and read it again, this time more carefully.

"But he's dead. We saw him commit suicide right before our eyes."

Silence. Hisoka look up from the Count's note and blinked, feeling the confusion from the other two men. He leaned forward cautiously and replaced the note on the desk, clenching his other hand to balance the emotions flowing into him.

"Makai, Hiroki, age 13. Was suppose to die two weeks ago, but somehow remained on Earth."

He took another step back as Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning. Well, he'd said all he could, so perhaps now he'd get some answers. Konoe cleared his throat twice, then rubbed his hands together thoughtfully.

**"Well Kurosaki, obviously the case isn't over yet. As you can see from the Count's note, something has seriously gone wrong."**

Hisoka nodded, then looked over at Tatsumi, waiting for whatever he may add. As a Secretary, Tatsumi was always a bit cold, but when it came down to deciphering riddles such as this, he usually had something to add.

**"Anything else you'd like to report? You seem a bit… out of it today."**

Well, that was something new. Hisoka ducked his head and ran his fingers though his hair. When he looked up again, both men were gazing at him curiously.

"When we saw the targ- I mean Hiroki, he looked a bit ill. Not to mention his emotions broke though my shields quite easily."

**"It screams Demon… or something to the like."**

Konoe nodded thoughtfully as Tatsumi spoke, then pushed the note back towards Hisoka, who took it after receiving a nod from the elder man.

**"I suggest that you look deeper into this case, there's no telling how bad it could get. Is Tsuzuki-"**

"He's at the home of the victim. We were going to investigate it today, but then… well, we figured it couldn't hurt. I trust he will gather more information, we're meeting up again at 5:00."

"_Unless he happens to run into an attractive girl."_

Hisoka rolled his eyes subconsciously, surprised at that he didn't feel as annoyed as usual at the thought of Tsuzuki goofing off. Perhaps it was the emotions in the room, or perhaps it was the fact that his stomach was slowly consuming itself in search of nourishment. He hadn't eaten this morning, despite coming down to breakfast. The look on Tsuzuki's face upon seeing him had depressed the hell out of him.

**"-and contact us as soon as you find out anymore. We'll keep an eye on things on this end, and send a Gushoshin if anything turns up."**

Nodding automatically, Hisoka turned to leave the room. As he reached for the door handle, an embarrassing growl came from his stomach. He caught Tatsumi looking at him speculatively out of the corner of his eye.

**"Oh, there are some snacks left in the break room if you are… hungry Kurosaki."**

His face flushed, he quickly slipped out the door, trying to ignore the amusement coming from the other side of the door.


	4. Chapter 3

Well, looks like I am still working on this. Like any of my projects, I work on it when I get hit with some inspiration. So, apparently I've been hit with just that. Other projects' been keeping me busy, but, I've found some time this morning. Sooo, let's see what I can do!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei, nor will claim ownership to the characters there of. The plot is of my own design and I shall punish myself for any faulty character development.

Note: Italics are thoughts. Thoughts will only be used for the focus character of the chapter.

Starflyer1

* * *

Just Beyond the Door

May 8th, 19XX, 1:00p.m.

The living room was a very nice room indeed and Tsuzuki had been in it for about at hour now, just waiting for someone to come and talk to him. His eyes wandered around the Victorian style room, gazing at the fancy ceiling lights, then down and past the straight-backed, cherry wood chairs lining the far wall, and finally to the large plush, couch across from him covered in flowered fabric.

"_They said, 'just wait here', but I can only sit still for so long!"_

If anything, the attempt of the 'tasteful decorating' in the room made him nauseous; the green, Fleur de lys prints on the white walls seemed to jump out at him, screaming, 'you don't belong here!' in a rather loud and obnoxious way. At least the glass top tables placed randomly about the room were nice, even if they were covered with odd knickknacks; at least there was hope that at least ONE of those knickknacks could be a candy dish. His eyed darted towards one such item, but again, the 'just wait here', kept him glued to his seat.

Tsuzuki shook his head; this place was driving him nuts. Perhaps it would have been better to send Hisoka here instead, the place didn't seem THAT bad vibe wise; and then again, he wasn't an Empath. There were times when he wished he understood that aspect of his partner a bit more, but most times, he was glad he lacked that power. No telling how he might be affected with all the things he tried to hide.

-"I have no idea how I'm suppose to deal with that man and get this place cleaned up! Perhaps you should deal with him dear."-

Voices, from what he assumed was the kitchen filtered out to him. Hesitantly, he stood up and crept towards the doorway, pondering the possibility of getting some kind of handout as well.

"_I am rather hungry, and if they just finished having a-… well, there could be something left!"_

Cheered by the thought, he stood up straighter, and immediately collided with-

"Ow! Shouldn't you be watching were you're going? Geeze, I'm not that short."

Tsuzuki looked down, and into the eyes of the young girl, Rei. He blinked, and then smiled apologetically as she stepped back and studied him again. An unspoken question lay in her eyes, one he assumed would be asked when not around, well, 'certain people.'

-**"Well, he can wait then, there's still so much left to do. This will all spoil if we don't put it away."-**

Tsuzuki's eyes widened as a grin appeared on his face. He took a step forward, forgetting about the girl for a brief moment as visions of sweets and other goodies filled his mind.

"_Cakes, cookies, and sweet breads… all there, and waiting for me!"_

Then, for some reason, his progress was halted. A small hand flew up towards his face like another stop sign. Sheepishly, he shrugged and offered a hopeful smile. Rei studied him momentarily, and then nodded.

"**You go upstairs to his room, I'll see what I can grab."**

If she weren't many years his junior, he would have kissed her… or at least given her a healthy squeeze. Perhaps this place wasn't so bad after all. He smiled widely, containing his glee as best he could, and bounded across the room, to the staircase.

:clink:

A glass swan leaned dangerously close towards the edge of the table. Then, much to Tsuzuki's horror, it fell into a nose dive. He looked back at the panicked look on Rei's face, then dove, catching the swan just before it hit the floor. The girl sighed and shook her head as his blunder.

"You're awfully clumsy for a college student."

A slight blush covered his face as he replaced the swan, then carefully stood, and made his way to the steep staircase.

"Wah, thank goodness… there's no way I would've been able to pay for that!"

As he started up the carpeted staircase, he paused. He turned his head sideways, watching as Rei disappeared into the kitchen. I made him curious to see how she'd get out of there alive with all the goodies, but he figured he'd had enough run ins with her mother for one day.

* * *

Tsuzuki hadn't seen a house this big in a long time at least one he was 'allowed' to poke around it. It almost made him giddy with the thought of what could be behind all these doors. Like a modern day adventurer, he rubbed his hands together and got started on his search.

The long hallway had quite a few doors leading off of it, and it was only after discovering three bathrooms, three closets, a stairway leading to some other part of the house, a Master bedroom, that he came upon the last two doors. The first door seemed stuck, something out of place, since the other doors had opened quite easily. Right away it seemed suspicious, and that feeling was confirmed as he found a smaller bedroom behind the last door, decidedly decorated in feminine colors.

"_She did say his room was upstairs, so this one MUST be it."_

It took him a few tries to persuade the door to open quietly, but what awaited him was a bit of a shock. The room was bare, not a stick of furniture or a particle of dust rested inside the doorway of the room. Tsuzuki lingered on the threshold, not quite daring to enter. There was something odd about that room, something that made him, of all people, wary to step even one toe inside.

"_I should bring Hisoka back here, I bet he'd be able to figure it out."_

Cautiously, he leaned in and ran his fingers along the side of the wall. Not even a second later, his hand went numb. Curiously, he examined the hand, and stepped farther into the room. The air seemed thick with … well, it looked like TV fuzz, but not as defined. It swarmed around him and every inch of the room, as if claiming ownership of it.

Tsuzuki reached into his jacked and wrapped his fingers around a shielding ofuda. The fuzz had made him a bit light headed, and perhaps a clear head might help him gather information. Well, a clear head and food.

: THWAP:

The floor rushed towards him at a resounding speed. It was only luck he caught himself before he fully slammed into the floor and possibly alerting the rest of the house to his location. He slid to his knees and scooted himself back into the hallway, carefully, and stared into the room.

"_Well, it sure FELT like something slammed into me, but what the hell was it?"_

He scratched his head and looked around anxiously, yet no one was around. Of course, that left few explanations for what that… that force was. With a quick examination of his clothing, he stood and self-consciously brushed his hair back, just in case anyone was on their way up. Yet, as he leaned back against the hallway and stared into the door, he still felt as if that fuzzy air had followed him out here. It was stating to get terribly hard to draw a breath.

"_W…why is it?"_

Tsuzuki adjusted his collar and cleared his throat a few times before deciding to ignore the feeling and stuff his hands into his pocket. There was a temptation to try going back into the room and 'test the waters' so to speak with a warding ofuda, but just as he took a step forward a hand clamped on his arm.

"H-ha? Oh, it's only you!"

"What's wrong with you? This isn't my brother's room."

"It's not? No, of course it's not! I was just waiting for you out here. It's…a bit creepy up here, isn't it?"

The girl shrugged and started past him, not looking back at him, but into the room as she walked by. Confused, Tsuzuki glanced into the room once more before following her to the right room.

"_Definitely a creepy vibe. But, if it wasn't her brother's room, whose was it?"_


	5. Chapter 4

Yes, I do have a direction for this little story, and I do plan on sticking with it to the end, but life keeps me busy and well… I have a ton of other projects to do. I am VERY ashamed that it took me over four months to get the last chapter up, and it was a good wait to get this one up as well! I get parts done sporadically and just do additions when I can. I do find that reading other's Yami fics' does motivate me. So… if anyone has something for me to read… send it my way!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei, nor will claim ownership to the characters there of. The plot is of my own design and I shall punish myself for any faulty character development.

Note: Italics are thoughts. Thoughts will only be used for the focus character of the chapter.

Not really any warnings, but there is food involved in this chapter.

Starflyer1

* * *

Just Beyond the Door  
May 8th, 19XX, 4:47p.m.

Kurosaki Hisoka didn't like the heat. Didn't like it at all. Why it had to be so warm this time of year was beyond him. Perhaps it was a heat wave. Did Japan get heat waves? Perhaps, but this one wasn't fun. Heat meant tiredness, and tiredness mixed with lack of food wasn't fun. Not fun at all.

Hisoka lay flat on his back on the hotel bed, his emerald green eyes closes as the ceiling fan blew his blonde hair about his face. The trip back from Meifu had been quick, he gotten back over an hour ago, but the events of that visit, and the previous night's events, had played though his head in an endless loop which had left him a bit… exhausted. Lacking in energy. Well, something like that. So, he'd layed down on the Hotel bed the moment he'd gotten back and stayed there, hoping to sleep, but instead, been thinking about the case.

"_There was so much blood… **It screams demon, or something to the like…** He was sick. No, focus Hisoka. He died, Hiroki died, but didn't die. He's dead, but not dead. What the HELL does that mean?"_

"Ughh..."

He wasn't asleep, well, he wasn't _falling_ asleep. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. It was almost ninety outside and the fan just felt so cool against his skin. It would be a perfect time to nap, if he had the time to.

"_I didn't get much sleep last night, neither of us did for that matter."_

He should really get up now, it was getting dangerously close to the scheduled meeting time at the resteraunt Tsuzuki has chosen. If he was late… well, he'd never hear the end of it. Here he always bashed Tsuzuki for wasting time and being lazy, and now it was him who couldn't manage gather enough energy to stand up.

"_Perhaps he won't mind if I'm a little late."_

Hisoka forced his eyes open and turned his head towards the digital clock on the bed-side table, just to see if it had perhaps decided to listen to his pleas and turn back an hour, or even a few minutes. Instead, it blinked ahead to 4:50 and kept right on going. Great, so now the clock was against him too. Sometimes it just didn't pay to be so hopeful about things like this. With a sigh he rolled his head back to the center of his pillow and raised his arm above his head, checking the watch with a glare, and let the back of his hand fall onto his forehead. God, he'd be so embarased if Tsuzuki, or anyone else for that matter, happened to walk in and see him like this.

"_Defences are down, and frankly, right now I just don't give a damn."_

The only thing that would make the situation more compromising would be if his white, button down work shirt was open, or possibly even OFF. However, it was on and he promptly chastised himself for even thinking about the subject anymore. Yes, it was hot, but it wasn't so hot that he would make himself mentally uncomfortable. He wasn't an exibitionist after all, he was only lying down on the bed, waiting for his energy to replenish enough for movement to be possible. Right now it was difficult enough to keep his mind awake.

_: ring:_

Maybe he should call down to have THEM call Tsuzuki and reschedule the reservations.

_: ring:_

Or perhaps the front desk could send up a wheelchair for him.

_: ring:_

Or perhaps the front desk could send up Tsuzuki for him.

_: ring:_

Or perhaps he should stop the mental charades and pick up the phone.

_: ring:_

Was it him or did the phone sound somewhat angry? Hisoka rolled over on his side and grasped the phone, lifting it from the cradle, feeling as if it weighed more than half a ton. This was rediculous, sure his sheilds had gotten torn down, but that was no excuse for him to be this tired… or was it?

"Yes?"

Why keep up formallities when it was this hot? He was in a Hotel after all and they were probably used to such rudeness. On second thought, it may be a good idea to be slightly more professionl about this.

"I mean, hello, Kurosaki Hisoka here."

There we go.

"Aa, Hisoka! It's Tsuzuki! Listen, sorry to bring this up on such short notice, but I'm still at that house and I need about another half hour to wrap stuff up."

There was a brief pause… then… chewing? He couldn't be… could he?

"Are you… eating something?"

"Uh, well, there was plenty of food left after the memorial service and it would be a terrible shame to let it go to waste and all, so-"

: click :

There. Problem solved. Then again, he wasn't so sure if he liked being blown off by his partner due to food. It was almost… insulting? Embarassing? Ironic? Something like that.

"_I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to get myself up and going. Maybe a shower would be good… and a change of clothes; these are a bit soaked."_

Even as Hisoka thought this, his eyes closed and didn't open again for almost forty-five minutes.

* * *

It was too cute, just too cute. Tsuzuki leaned forward on his elbows, smiling from ear to ear at his droopy eyed partner from across the table. He dangled his fork over his desert of the restaurant's famous 'Deathly chocolate' cake, and waited for a reaction.

_"I can't beleve I had to go back to the Hotel room to fetch him!"_

Upon reaching the Resteraunt, ten minutes later than planned, it had seemed odd not to see his Green eyed partner waiting there for him with his sharp tongue at the ready. The situation had actually panicked him a little, but it only had taken one phone call to the Hotel desk clerk to find out Hisoka had never left the room. Not to say he still wasn't worried about his partner, but just remembering him lying there half curled up with a pillow flopped over his head… It was too cute.

"Idiot, what are you so happy about? Shouldn't you be filling me in on what you found out at the house?"

"Uh, Huh, but are you sure you're awake enough to hear it?"

Now that statement elicited quite a spectacular glare from the green eyed shinigami, with a sheepish smile, Tsuzuki waved a hand to cool his partner's temper and finally put his fork down besides his plate. For some reason Hisoka had been a bit touchy lately, especially in matters involving his sleeping or eating habits.

_"He was always a bit touchy, but these days it seems more than usual…"_

It had been awhile since they'd actually had a good conversation about what had happened… in Kyoto, and well, after Kyoto. It just seemed a lot to be thinking about these days, and to be thinking about right now. It was just something that they both knew should be brought up soon… but of course it was all in the timing.

"Ok, ok, calm down Hisoka, I'll tell you!"

"With all the time you spent there, it better be good…"

Was he imagining it, or had the glare slightly intensified? Perhaps it was the heat, the young boy never was really good at handling any extremes in temperature and of course all the past missions involving said conditions that came to mind only enforced this opinion.

"Uh, would you like a drink first 'Soka?"

"…"

"Fine! Fine! Ok, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

He dared not push his moody partner any farther. In his mind, he often found it fun to pick on the eternally 16- year old Empath, despite the fact that his real age was 18 and he often got a good smack on the head or snapped at in return. In his mind, he though Hisoka should lighten up a little, but for some reason, the boy never saw it that way. Tsuzuki cleared his throat, rubbed his hands together and launched into his explanation.

"Ok, well I GOT there Hisoka, and it was a bit tricky to get past the front door. That woman just didn't like the thought of a supposed stranger walking into the house for whatever reason it was. It was only the little girl was there to let me in…"

The violet-eyed Shinigami was rambling and he knew it. Hisoka seemed almost in a trance as he stumbled on though descriptions of the living room and wanting to see what goodies were in the kitchen. However, when he got to the explanation of the room, the young boy's head cocked to the side slightly, as if interested and offered a little nod for him to continue as he stopped for breath. Encouraged, Tsuzuki cleared his throat and leaned forwards.

"There was certainly SOMETHING in there, but I couldn't quite gather what it was. Definitely some sort of spiritual energy, and violent at that."

There was a slight change in the boy's expression now, one, perhaps, of worry that played across his features momentarily before the drowsy look over came him again. Tsuzuki ran his fingers though his hair and smiled confidently to put his partner's mind at ease.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle Hisoka, it just felt weird is all."

"Maybe you should bring me next time."

The older man suppressed a smile as the boy's words were followed up with a large yawn that left a slight blush on his face. Sitting back, Tsuzuki pressed his fingers together and studied his partner. The tired eyes managing a stare of annoyance, the lips pressed in a firm line that threatened to spill berating words and limp hands clinging onto a fork.

_"He's gonna fall asleep in…. five minutes! I bet myself a piece of chocolate cake on it! No, wait… a large slice of apple pie!"_

With those thoughts in consideration, he allowed his thought process to drag on a bit longer than usual, an act his partner caught onto quickly. The boy raised his eyelids a fraction of an inch, just enough to say 'get on with it'.

"Erm… no, I don't think I will bring you Hisoka."

"Why not!"

"Because the people there are kinda … well, with your empathy acting up I…"

"Since when has MY Empathy been your problem?"

"Hisooooka! You're my partner; I have the right to worry about your health!"

Tsuzuki allowed his eyes to linger on his partner's scowling face for a few moments longer before he decided to launch back into his story about the room and… well, whatever it was he had felt there. Sure enough, Hisoka's eyes did eventually close and right at the five minute mark, his breathing had become calm and shallow.

_"I was right, he WAS rather tired, even with the nap earlier. It's definitely right I keep him away from that house for now."_

After a quick look at his watch, a small puppyish grin broke out on his face. He raised his hand to call the waiter and dug a few bills of Tatsumi's spending money out of his pocket for payment. The next course of action was obvious of course, take his sleeping partner back up to their room where he could get some rest in a REAL bed, rather than an emotion flooded restaurant. It was incredible though, at least in his mind, how Hisoka had been able to fall asleep in such company when his empathy usually bothered him, and had been bothering him as of lately.

With a sigh, he stood and picked up the boy's limp form and started towards the hotel lobby as the eyes of many a patron watched their progress. However, one person seemed to watch them, one gangly teenage boy who looked as if he'd seen too many late nights. The boy leaned forward slightly as the two passed him, raising his voice every so slightly;

**"Wanna play a little game?"**


	6. Chapter 5

No excuse cause I've been insanely busy with work and shoots and script writing. Yet, I still have plans for this fic. Yes, I'm sure at this point this doesn't make any sort of sense, but trust me, I have a direction. Hopefully people are still reading at this point… I did start Ch. 6 already too. Go me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei, nor will claim ownership to the characters there of. The plot is of my own design and I shall punish myself for any faulty character development.

Italics are thoughts of the person the part is centered around.

Starflyer1

* * *

Just Beyond the Door  
May 8th, 19XX. 4:50PM

Before Tsuzuki could take another step, the boy was right there beside him. Screw too many late nights, this one probably never slept period. And that brought him back to his sleeping partner cradled in his arms. Slowly he raised his eyes to meet the boy's and tightened his grip on Hisoka.

"What game?"

The boy smiled; a gesture Tsuzuki found far from re-assuring. He adjusted his partner's position and readied his hand for an ofuda… just in case. The boy seemed to take no note of this and simply motion for him to follow. A minute passed, then two. All around them the people walked past, their loafers and high heels making clicking noises on the tiled floor. For some reason, despite the sunlight streaming though the tall windows, the room seemed unusually cold. Tsuzuki slowly let out his breath and tried not to panic when it came out in a puff of steam.

_"It's probably a demon or a spirit. Hisoka would know… if he were awake."_

"What Game."

Again the boy motioned for Tsuzuki to follow, his hand closer to his face, as if making sure the elder shinigami could actually SEE the action. With a low growl of impatience, the boy took a step back and clasped his hands together, his eyes flickering towards the pale skinned youth. Had he been that pale before? The boy gazed back up at him with a smirk, then turned and started towards a large stair case. Well, technically now there was no choice. Grimly, Tsuzuki fell into step beside the boy and tried not to look as if he weren't following a strange boy into a possible trap. And that was if the trap hadn't already been sprung.

"I'll ask you one more time, What game?"

**"The game that's already begun. I'm afraid you're the only one not playing yet… Tsuzuki."**

Well… so much for that theory.

--------------------------------------

_Awash in something like cold water…  
This gift I give to you.  
The sound of eternal silence,  
In a frozen womb._

Hisoka opened his eyes as the vertigo he had been feeling since closing his eyes finally lessened. His heavy breathing echoed as if there were walls it could actually bounce off. Yet, when had he lost his breath to begin with? The only time he lost his breath these days was when his empathy went out of control. Surely, he would have noticed if that had happened.

Then again, he was asleep and there was no telling if his current condition was an effect of being around Tsuzuki. Perhaps the poor man was panicking something awful, and therefore his mental state had led him here. Ah, yes, speaking of here…

_"It's so cold down here; then again, if I'm was down, what's up?"_

Before Hisoka had time to decipher that thought, a thick blanket of fog had drifted in all around him, blocking out whatever else there was out there to look at; not to mention himself. Well, if he couldn't see where he was, let alone six inches in front of him, there was only one thing left to 'see' with. Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to using those methods, especially when just about anything, including a panicking partner, could be picked up.

_"Well, that's just great."_

Tentatively he felt the area out, and found one pocket that had, well, bsomething/b in it. And that something seemed to be getting bigger by the minute. It felt… unsteady, chaotic, engulfing. It just didn't feel right to him, not at all. The blonde reached a hand down to grasp an ofuda from his pants pocket, yet, for some reason, the pants weren't THERE. In their place was a thin sort of fabric that seemed to cover his body like a robe.

_"At least I'm not naked."_

Then again, was that really the thing to be saying when there was a mass of ill intent coming his way? It's not like any sort of covering had stopped Muraki that night many years ago. But this wasn't Muraki; it was something else, which meant it was still dangerous.

Hisoka immediately enforced his shields and sent a last probe towards the mass… which was a huge mistake.

_"It… won't let go!"_

Desperately he swung his hands around wildly as he felt the psychic pull of the mass pulling him forward. Gradually, a shape emerged, one he was moving towards. A boy. No, not a boy, yet someone in teenage years that could almost be a man; a familiar figure just standing there, wheeling him in like a fish on a line. Well damn, he could struggle, couldn't he?

"AHH!"

No, maybe struggling wasn't a good idea. His energy seemed to flow out of him at an alarming rate and into the line when he did that. Perhaps he would just allow himself to be wheeled in and face the person who wanted his attention so badly. Hisoka steeled his will and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable, which came all too soon.

He opened his eyes and stared into the boys' blood flecked ones. This person was dead. He remembered it all now…

_"All that blood…"_

Slowly. Shut the world out, and speak.

"Hiroki."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boy never once looked back at him, but had said one sentence since reaching the top of the stairs. On sentence spoken in nasty, threatening tones.

**"Use your spiritual form."**

Tsuzuki had done just that, putting a sight shield on Hisoka since the boy couldn't make the switch himself. It would have looked odd to see a boy floating around by himself like that. A flicker of a smile had appeared on his face at the thought.

_"But Tatsumi probably wouldn't like it. We'd probably never be able to stay in a nice hotel like this again."_

Now he stood in front of his own room, the boy blocking the door. So he could escape, but there was no telling how fast the boy cold move, let alone if he had any spiritual powers… except for being a demon, and he still wasn't sure about that theory. Right now it seemed a bit odd… the way it was all set up. Almost as if the boy had this room and he was about to give Hisoka to him and they would vanish into the room to…

_"No…"_

He held his partner's body possessively against his chest; it was best to keep those ideas out of his head. The boy looked around and nodded, then leaned back against the door, which surprisingly, supported him back.

**"We'd better make sure all parties are capable of hearing first."**

Tsuzuki resisted the urge to step back as the boy reached a hand out and covered Hisoka's eyes briefly. As he took his hand back, the boy's eyes were open, yet vacant. Almost like an empty shell, a body with nobody home. The ideas chilled him to the bone.

**"The game's begun, Tsuzuki. Will you be able to stop him?"**

"Him?"

The boy laughed shortly, a cruel smile forming on his face. This didn't look good… definitely didn't look good at all.

**"This game is played by using FEELNGS. You know, like 'hot, cold'? Only this game could only lead you to bodies if you're too slow."**

"Wh-what do you mean?"

**"You were too late for Hiroki, weren't you?"**

"Will there be more?"

**"You don't like killing, do you Tsuzuki?"**

He froze, couldn't help but freeze. Something was a work here, something that knew him, and obviously knew of Hisoka. The feeling of the coldness was seeping though his muscles; numbing his entire body. Carefully he set Hisoka down against the far wall and stepped forward, now ready for a face off, if one should come. There was no point in involving Hisoka, or waking him up accidentally to see what might happen. Hell, HE didn't really want to see what would happen if things turned ugly.

"I… don't think it's right to take the life of an innocent."

**"And if they aren't innocent?"**

"A life's a life."

**"Someone has to do the killing, Tsuzuki. Don't you agree? Isn't that why you do it?"**

Sweat shone on his cold forehead as he took a step back. The whole world seemed to be tilting on edge. If only he had a way of getting back on stable ground. He didn't need this, didn't need this at all. Now the boy was walking TOWARS him.

**"Oh, but don't worry. There isn't any need to worry. You won't have to kill… not if you don't want to."**

"Oh."

That's all there was to say. It wasn't relief that coursed though his body then though. It was far from it. The boy raised a hand, wigging all four fingers and thumb in a creepy, claw like motion. He turned to the hand and closed all but the pointer finger into a fist.

**"Five players… but one's different. I'd get moving if I were you, before that one player becomes like the rest. The rules may change, so I wouldn't automatically assume you know something for sure until you speak with all the players personally."**

_"You're a player… meaning I am too... and so is… Hisoka."_

The realization chilled him. Perhaps he should just remove an ofuda and burn this spirit where it stood and end this game. Then again, why had this boy told him the information if he wasn't trying to be helpful? A mystery of mysteries… a twisted game of some sorts. Why the hell was this happening now?

The numbness wore off as he slowly bent down and picked up Hisoka in his arms again. Safe and sound… somehow, they would be; he'd make sure of it. The boy was still there though, waiting, for some kind of confirmation.

"Okay. I'm ready."

The boy smiled, his body already phasing out as he placed a hand over Hisoka's eyes again. Now they were closed, as if they never were open to begin with.

**"Then let the games begin."**

* * *

Mwahahah… I dare you to stop reading now. I dare ME to stop writing now! X.x… 


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